The Savage Curtain (episode)
Kirk and Spock are forced to fight alongside such historical figures as Abraham Lincoln of Earth and Surak of Vulcan by aliens who want to understand the concepts of "good" and "evil." Summary The ''Enterprise'' is surprised to detect life signs coming from an apparently lifeless planet. During the ensuing investigation, an image of Abraham Lincoln appears on the viewscreen. :"Captain’s log, stardate 5906.4. Who or what has been beamed aboard our vessel? An alien who has changed himself into this form? An illusion? I cannot conceive it possible that Abraham Lincoln could have actually been reincarnated. And yet his kindness, his gentle wisdom, his humor, everything about him is so right." Lincoln makes a brief tour of the ship, then invites Kirk and Spock to beam down to a thousand-kilometer Earth-like region that suddenly appears on the sensors. Kirk seems all too ready to admire the "illusion," whereas McCoy and Scotty insist that the whole affair is a setup to lure Kirk and Spock to their deaths on the planet's deadly surface. Kirk and Spock accept the invitation, and discover themselves locked in a mortal combat of good versus evil, with the good represented by themselves, Lincoln, and Surak (the Vulcan equivalent of Lincoln), and evil represented by four archetypes led by a charismatic but thoroughly despicable colonel. The planet's denizens reveal themselves to be a race of rock-like beings, the Excalbians, who often stage such combats to learn more about alien philosophies. Since Kirk refuses to fight, the aliens raise the stakes by damaging the Enterprise's matter/antimatter equipment, which will cause the ship to "blow up" in four hours – unless the "good" side manages to defeat their opponents. :"Supplemental log, stardate 5906.5. Engineer Scott reporting. The ''Enterprise is doomed to explode in two hours if Captain Kirk is defeated by the enemy on the surface of the planet. The enormous power of the Enterprise has been neutralized and we sit here watching, unable to assist."'' Of course, Kirk and Spock prevail, and are allowed to beam back to a miraculously repaired Enterprise. Memorable Quotes "President Lincoln, indeed! No doubt to be followed by Louis of France and Robert the Bruce!" "If so, then we will execute appropriate honors for each, gentlemen." : - Scott, as Kirk enters the transporter room "You're ''both out of your heads!" "''Aye!" "And ''you're both on the edge of insubordination!" "''Would I be on the edge of insubordination to remind the captain that this smells of something happening to him that ''I might not be able to patch back together again?" : - '''McCoy', Scott, and Kirk "Oh, forgive me, my dear. I know in my time some used that term as a description of property." "But why should I object to that term, sir? In our century, we've learned not to fear words." : - "Abraham Lincoln" and Uhura "Live long and prosper, ''image of Surak; father of all we now hold true." "''The, uh – ''image of Surak read in your face what is in your mind, Spock." "''As I turned, and my eyes beheld you, I displayed emotion... I ask forgiveness." "The cause was more than sufficient... let us speak no further of it." :- Spock and "Surak" "I am pleased to see that we have differences. May we together become greater than the sum of both of us." : - "Surak" "There is no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war except its ending." : - "Abraham Lincoln" "It would seem that evil retreats when forcibly confronted." : - Yarnek Background Information * Final draft script , filmed mid-December. * This episode marks the second time TOS encounters a silicon-based lifeform. The first time is in "The Devil in the Dark". Janos Prohaska played both lifeforms, with Bart LaRue supplying the Excalibian's voice. * When Abraham Lincoln asks if the crew still measures time in minutes Kirk says "We can convert to it." This is obviously not true, as there are numerous examples in prior episodes in which even Spock expresses time in minutes (e.g., "The Tholian Web"). * Arell Blanton was hired for this episode because of his military background, needed for the welcoming ceremony for Abraham Lincoln. He was in an episode of M*A*S*H years later for the same reason. * A boatswain's whistle is used by Lt. Dickerson to welcome Lincoln aboard. This is the "hailing" signal used on board the ship, which was one of many ways that Gene Roddenberry brought naval traditions aboard starships. We will see an electronic boatswain's whistle in Star Trek II. * This episode marks the final appearance of Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) in the series. * When Kirk thanks Mr. Lemli, it sounds suspiciously like "Mr. Mulney". * Both of the "real-life" figures recreated by the Excalbians, Abraham Lincoln and Genghis Khan served as a visual inspiration for the look of the Klingons. John Colicos, the first actor to play a Klingon, suggested that the make-up artist make him look like "a futuristic Genghis Khan" and the look of David Warner as Chancellor Gorkon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was designed to resemble Lincoln. * Three of the historical figures introduced in this episode would appear in some form in later Star Trek series. Kahless (or at least a clone of him) would appear in the TNG episode "Rightful Heir", Jonathan Archer would possess and speak to the katra of Surak in the ENT episode "Awakening", and archival footage of Col. Green addressing a crowd would be watched by John Frederick Paxton in the ENT episode "Demons". * Although it is decidedly apocryphal, Kirk and the Enterprise crew would once again encounter Abraham Lincoln in the 1971 Gold Key comic book story The Legacy of Lazarus. * Shatner splits his pants at 28:04 into the episode, during a fight between Kirk and Colonel Green. Links and References *VHS edition available through Amazon under ISBN 6300988732. Regular Cast Main cast * William Shatner as Kirk * Leonard Nimoy as Spock * DeForest Kelley as McCoy * James Doohan as Scott * George Takei as Sulu * Nichelle Nichols as Uhura * Walter Koenig as Chekov Guest Stars * Lee Bergere as Lincoln Co-Stars * Barry Atwater as Surak * Phillip Pine as Col. Green * Arell Blanton as Dickerson (credited as "Chief Security Guard") * Carol Daniels DeMent as Zora * Robert Herron as Kahless * Nathan Jung as Genghis Khan * Janos Prohaska as Yarnek (uncredited) * Bart LaRue as Voice of Yarnek (uncredited) * William Blackburn as Hadley (uncredited) * Roger Holloway as Lemli (uncredited) References Arcturian dog bird (Arcturian); carbon cycle lifeform; class M; dress uniform; Excalbia; Excalbians; France; Grant, Ulysses S.; haggis; honor detachment; Louis XIV; Negress; nitrogen; oxygen; Robert the Bruce; Starfleet Command; Tiburon; Time of Awakening; Union Army; Vulcan; Vulcan (planet); whiskey; World War III External Links * Savage Curtain, The de:Seit es Menschen gibt es:The Savage Curtain nl:The Savage Curtain